Celebrating the Christmas Season

Ta-da!  We have a bigger Christmas tree now!  (thanks NaElle and Cody).  The box says it's a 6-foot tree, but I don't believe it, seeing as I am 5'5, and it's barely taller than me.  I love it, though.  It helps bring the Christmas spirit in our home.  We were going to sell our tiny, 2-foot Christmas tree, but since it was our very first one, we decided to keep it.  And I'm glad we did.

So, for family home evening, Jayze and I decorated the two Christmas trees, sang along to Christmas music (Josh Groban-Holiday on Pandora is the way to go), and celebrated our hard work with hot chocolate.

 

I looked up online how to tie a Christmas bow.  We still had some ribbon from one of our wedding presents and also a sheer, red ribbon, so here it is.  I think it turned out pretty good.  :)

                                                                    Thumbs up! 
                                                          

And here is our tiny Christmas tree.  Jayze decorated it, and I think he did an awesome job.

 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season so far!  I love this time of year so much.

Hard Times

Today has been hard.  This week has been hard.

And it's only Tuesday.

Finals are coming up, but I have projects that are due this week and next week (BIG projects).  And what do I do?  I blog, go on facebook, read my email, budget, go to work, practice the piano, do my "easier" homework-anything to keep from doing my BIG projects.  Why is this?  Why does that happen?

Stress.  Grief.  Wanting to be distracted.

I miss Alma so much it hurts.  I want him here with me.  I want to be taking only 6 online credits this semester instead of 13 online and on-campus credits.  I want to get up in the middle of the night and hold my little baby.  I want to cuddle him when he's sleeping and smile and laugh with him when he's awake.  I want to watch him grow and roll over and take his first step.  But he's gone, and today it hurts like it hasn't for awhile.  I think stress and being overwhelmed aids in that.

That being said, there have been so many things that have kept me going.  Number one is my Heavenly Father.  Number two is my husband, Jayze.  And number three is the knowledge that I will hold Alma again.  I'll get to see him run and play and smile and....breathe.  And cry and be sassy and explore and everything little boys do.  I'll get to see him grow in the knowledge of the gospel.

For now, I'll try to be content knowing that he is with Heavenly Father watching over Jayze and me, preparing his siblings for whenever they'll come and join us on earth.  His sweet spirit still lingers in my heart each and every day and practically every moment of every day.

This life was not meant to be easy.  Trials are hard.  This trial is hard.  I have to remind myself that everyone is going through their own person trial and that we are all brothers and sisters.  I need to help those around me because none of us can get through our trials alone.

I can't express my feelings in perfect words or in the perfect way, but I love Elder Shayne M. Bowen's talk, "Because I Live, Ye Shall Live Also," because it expresses in so many ways how I feel.  You can read it here.

I am grateful for my Savior and for His Atonement.  He knows exactly how I feel, and He won't leave me alone.  Times are tough, but it helps knowing there is someone all-knowing who understands. 

Our First Thanksgiving - Just the Two of Us

I know this post is a little after the holiday, but Thanksgiving was so fun this year, I decided to relive it.  So, come relive it with me....

This was the first year Jayze and I celebrated Thanksgiving with just the two of us, and it was soooooooo fun!  We loved cooking all the food, singing along to Christmas music (I know, we cheated a little), and playing games.  It was great because we made everything from scratch, except the gravy and stuffing.  We cheated on those, too, and used packages.

Everything turned out soooooo delicious!  We brined the turkey in salt and vinegar water and then cooked it for about 3 1/2 hours.  We boiled the potatoes in chicken broth and made mashed potatoes out of them.  We also had a green salad, stuffing, olives (I looooove black olives, as my Grandma and parents will attest too.  My Grandma even got me a can of olives for my birthday once, and I ate the whole can that night!), and cherry-limeade drink.

For the pies, we split the duties.  Jayze put together the crust, and I put together the fillings.  We just went with the traditional kinds:  pumpkin and apple.  mmmmmmmm.  Those are my kind of pies.  :)  

We played a little bit of Monopoly and Speed, skyped with Jayze's family, and watched Tangled (one of the BEST movies ever).  It was really relaxing, and I loved spending the whole day with Jayze and not worrying about homework or work or anything.  I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband.

And of course, I have to include a bit about gratefulness.  I am grateful for eternal families.  We did miss Alma, but I know he is safe in our Heavenly Father's arms.

I hope everyone else had a very Happy Thanksgiving as well.  :)

Now on to Christmas festivities....